Screen panel



July 7, 1959 M. A. GORDON 2,893,484

SCREEN PANEL Filed Jan. 30, 1958 g ue/aw Al Gazebo/v (Ma ATTORNEY UniwSW68 P t SCREEN PANEL Murray A. Gordon, Brooklyn, N.Y., assignor toBerkeley industries, Jersey City, NJ., a corporation of New erseyApplication January 30, 1958, Serial No. 712,116

Claims. (Cl. 160229) The present invention relates generally toimprovements in hinged panels, and it relates more particularly to animproved hinged screen provided with a replaceable facing.

Decorative and functional screens, particularly those employed onwindow, have heretofore been provided in many shapes and sizes and ofdiffering constructions. However, these have possessed numerousdrawbacks and disadvantages, and left much to be desired. They have beenbulky and expensive and of unattractive appearance. They are alsodiflicult to mount, maintain and keep clean. As a result, window screenshave received little acceptance.

It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to providean improved hinged panel.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved windowscreen.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedhinge construction.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improvedhinged screen construction provided with readily separable facingsheaths.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide animproved hinged multi-panel screen which is simple, rugged andinexpensive and may be easily and readily mounted and dismounted andcollapsed.

The above and other objects of the present invention will becomeapparent from a reading of the following description, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a rearelevational view of an improved multi-panel screen embodying the presentinvention, illustrated as applied to a window and shown partially brokenaway;

Figure 2 is a perspective enlarged detail view of the inter-panel hingeconstruction; and

Figure 3 is a rear enlarged perspective view of the inter-panelconstruction and the registering facing sheath.

In a sense, the present invention contemplates the provision of animproved screen member comprising a panel having a pair of parallelopposite longitudinally extending edges, a hinge arm secured to each ofsaid opposite edges, said hinge arm being spaced rearwardly of saidpanel and being secured to said panel by a leg directed forwardly fromsaid hinge arm at a point disposed inwardly of said panel edge, saidhinge arm projecting laterally beyond said panel edge.

Referring now to the drawings Which illustrate a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention in the formof a multi-panel window screen, thenumeral generally designates one form of panel constructed according toand embodying the present invention, illustrated as being ofsubstantially flat rectangular configuration, although other suitableshapes may be employed. Each of panels 10 is preferably a frame formedof a single length of heavy wire or rod and includes integral upper andlower members 12 and 13 and vertical side members 14 and 16, the ends ofthe frame members being joined by 2,893,484 Patented July 7, 1

ice

rounded corners. Located along each of side members 14 and 16 are a pairof vertically spaced hinge members 17 and 18 respectively, hinge members17 being vertically staggered relative to hinge members 18. The loweredge of upper hinge member 17 is substantially coplanar with the upperedge of upper hinge member 18, and the upper edge of lower hinge member17 is substantially coplanar with the lower edge of lower hinge member18.

Each of hinge members 17 and 18 include a U-shaped member having aforward leg 20 and a parallel rear leg 21, the legs being joined by acrotch or bridge portion 22 disposed inwardly of the respective sidemember 14 or 16. The forward leg 20 is substantially coplanar with therear face of the panel 10, the outer end of the leg terminating in aforwardly directed inwardly concave arcuate flange 23 which registerswith the outer surface of the side member 14 or 16 and is suitablysecured thereto as by spot welding or the like. The opposite or hingerear leg 21 extends beyond the side 14 or 16 and the outer end of theforward leg 20 and terminates in an integrally formed vertical tubularsection 24.

The tubular sections 24 of corresponding hinge members 17 and 18 carriedby adjacent frame side members 14 and 16 are in vertical aligned,end-to-end arrangement. A removable hinge pin 26 includes a dependingshank 27 which separably registers with the aligned openings of thetubular members 24 and is provided with an upper laterally extending arm28 terminating in a depending leg 29 to facilitate the insertion andremoval of the hinge pin 26 from the aligned tubular members 24.

The screen may be mounted on the vertical frame post 30 of a window inany suitable fashion. For example, a pair of vertically spaced pintlescrews 32 may be used, each have end threaded shanks 33 screwed into thepost 30 and terminating at their outer ends in upwardly directed pins 34which register with the tubular portions 24 of the end hinge members 18.

Each of the panels 10 has its front face covered with a sheath 36 formedof any suitable attractive flexible material such as a textile fabric,thermoplastic sheeting or the like. The borders of the sheath 36 arefolded rearwardly and inwardly as at 37, the inner edges of the borderhaving an elastic band 38 suitably secured thereto as by means of a lineof stitching 39, the elastic band 38, in relaxed contracted condition,being of lesser length than the corresponding side and end members ofthe panel frames. Sheath 36 encompasses each of the panel frames 10, theface of the sheath being forwardly disposed and the border thereofextending around and gripping the rods forming the sides of the panel.The U-shaped hinge members 20 permit a snug and uniform envelopment ofthe panel frame by the sheath without any distortion, as best seen inFigure 3 of the drawing.

Any number of panels 10 may be hinge-connected in side-by-siderelationship by bringing corresponding hinge members 17 and 18 intoproper alignment and pivotally joining the matched hinge members withthe separable pins 26. Moreover, the end panel may be easily mounted onthe window frame or removed therefrom by reason of the pintle screw 33.The sheath may be readily applied to and removed from the individualpanels 10, thus facilitating their replacement and cleaning.

While there has been described and illustrated a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention, it is apparent that numerous alterations andomissions may be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

Having now described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. An improved screen comprising a pair of panel members arranged inadjoining edge-to-edge relationship, a sheath having a face extendingover the front of each of said panel members and a border engaging theedge thereof, an arm spaced rearwardly of and secured to each of saidpanel members and extending laterally across the area of said panelmember adjoining edge, said sheath border being disposed between saidarm and said frame, and means hinge-connecting the free ends of saidarms 2. An improved screen in accordance with claim 1, wherein each ofsaid panels is defined by a vertical rectangular frame formed of wire.

3. An improved screen in accordance with claim 2, including asubstantially U-shaped member associated with each of said frames andhaving a leg thereof secured to a vertical edge of said frame and itsother leg defining said laterally extending arm.

4. An improved screen in accordance with claim 1, including an elasticband secured to and along the border of said sheath.

5. An improved screen comprising a plurality of screen members eachincluding a pair of longitudinally extending opposite parallel sidemembers, a plurality of longitudinally spaced substantially U-shapedhinge members located along each of said side members, the legs of eachof said hinge members being outwardly directed and transversely spaced,the free end of the forwardmost leg being secured to said respectiveside member, the free end of the other leg thereof projecting laterallybeyond said side member, the bridge portion connecting the legs beingdisposed inwardly of the associated side member wherein said hingemembers along said opposite side members are longitudinally staggeredrelative to each other and wherein the screen members are arranged inadjoining side-by-side relationship, said hinge members along saidadjoining sides having their outer free ends in alignment, and meansefiecting a pivotal connection between said hinge member aligned freeends.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,283,359 Thomson Oct. 29, 1918 2,268,669 Moore Jan. 6, 1942 2,505,467Eilert Apr. 25, 1950

